Food container with folding condiment holding platform

ABSTRACT

A food container, comprising a front panel; a bottom panel connected to the front panel at a fold line; a first side panel being connected to the front panel at a fold line; a second side panel being connected to the front panel at a fold line; a back panel to which a tab portion of each of the first and second side panels are attached; a platform comprising a main panel portion, a first side panel portion, a second side panel portion, a top side panel portion, whereby the platform is connected to the front panel at a fold line, the first, second and top side panel portions is connected to the main panel portion by fold lines, the platform being foldable from a flat configuration into a tray configurations whereby the first, second and top side panel portions are foldable upward to form side lips of the platform.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from copending U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/549,776, filed Mar. 3, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to food containers and, more particularly, to food containers with a foldable condiment holder.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Food containers designed for the “fast food” service industry have developed into a study of human consumption behavior. Containers for holding items such as French Fries and other small “finger” food items have been developed to be manufactured out of a single die blank and, after selected tabs being glued, having the container be folded in a flat configuration for transportation and storage. During use the container is expanded to create a pocket and the food item(s) placed inside. Many consumers prefer to eat such items with condiments, such as ketchup, mustard, sauces, dressings or the like.

A number of food containers have been developed which have incorporated structures to hold condiments. One set of such structures are pockets or compartments. Another set of such structures is a holder or receiver for condiments provided in its own container. It would be desirable to have a food container with a platform which could hold a sufficient quantity of condiment without requiring a separate pocket, which can leak or be difficult to open or maintain open. It would also be desirable to have a food container with a condiment platform which would not require the use of a separate condiment container.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provide, in one exemplary embodiment, a food container, comprising a front panel; a bottom panel connected to the front panel at a fold line; a first side panel being connected to the front panel at a fold line; a second side panel being connected to the front panel at a fold line; a back panel to which a tab portion of each of the first and second side panels are attached; a platform comprising a main panel portion, a first side panel portion, a second side panel portion, a top side panel portion, whereby the platform being connected to the front panel at a fold line, the first, second and top side panel portions being connected to the main panel portion by fold lines, the platform being foldable from a flat configuration into a tray configurations whereby the first, second and top side panel portions being foldable upward to form side lips of the platform.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is illustrated in the drawings in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures of which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a die blank used to form the container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a container assembled and in a flat configuration for transportation and/or storage.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view with the platform in a vertical position.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view with the platform in a folded and ready to use position.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1-5 show a first exemplary embodiment of a container 10 of the present invention for holding a food product 12 (not shown). The container 10 is formed from a blank of material, such as, but not limited to, paper, paperboard, cardboard, fiberboard, plastic, mixtures or combinations thereof or the like and may be untreated or treated with moisture resistant or other material as is known to those skilled in the art. In a preferred embodiment the container 10 is a single die blank of coated paperboard material and scored or folded at appropriate lines (the fold lines being shown dashed in the Figures).

The container 10 has a platform 20 which can hold a quantity of condiment 22 when in the generally horizontal position. Turning to FIG. 1, the container comprises a front panel 24, a back panel 26, side panels 28 and 30, and a bottom panel 32.

The side panel 28 extends from the front panel 24 at fold line 34. A first side panel segment 36 is connected via a fold line 38 to a second side panel segment 40, which in turn is connected to an attachment tab 42 by fold line 44. Similarly the side panel 30 extends from the front panel 24 at fold line 50. A first side panel segment 52 is connected via a fold line 54 to a second side panel segment 56, which in turn is connected to an attachment tab 58 by fold line 60.

The bottom panel 32 is comprised of a first portion 62 and a second portion 64 joined at a fold line 66. The bottom panel is connected to the front panel at a fold line 68 and is connected to the back panel 26 at a fold line 70.

The condiment platform 20 comprises a main panel 80, connected via a fold line 82 to a first side panel 84 and via a fold line 86 to a second side panel 88 and via a fold line 90 to a third side panel 92. The main panel 80 connects to the front panel 24 at a fold line 94 It is to be understood that various modifications to this basic container 10 shape may be made to form different size or configuration containers as is known to those skilled in the art.

The die blank shown in FIG. 1 can be folded and glued (or otherwise connected) together to form the container shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 2 shows an assembled container 10 in a folded flat configuration. The platform 20 is flat and coplanar with the main panels of the container 10. The container may be expanded to form a pocket, as shown in FIG. 3 with the platform 20 being in substantially a flat vertical configuration.

In use, a consumer would fold the platform panel 80 down at fold line 94, fold the first side panel 84 up at fold line 82, fold the second panel 88 up at fold line 86 and fold top side panel 92 at fold line 90 to form a tray-like platform with three raised side lips, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Condiment 22, which is usually a viscous fluid, gel or other slightly flowable material, can then be placed on the platform 20. The consumer can then dip the food item extracted from the pocket into the condiment and the condiment is in easy and convenient reach. The raised platform side panels 84, 88 and 92 restrict spreading of the condiment 22 from spilling over the sides of the platform 92. The user can optionally hold the container 10 so that the platform 20 folds backward generally horizontally and can rest on part of the user's hand as the user holds the container, thereby preventing possible over extension of the platform beyond the generally horizontal due to applied downward force.

Its is an advantage of the present invention that it can be formed of a single die blank with not substantially increased cost of manufacture. Further the present invention can be integrated with conventional container blank plan designs so that it will stay flat and will not involve additional steps when prepared for insertion of the food item into the pocket. The platform side panels conveniently fold upward with little effort and remain in at least a partially folded position to reduce the possibility of condiment runoff. The thickness of the container material, e.g., paperboard, is preferably sufficient to enable the platform, when folded downward to the generally horizontal position, to be maintained in such position under a sufficient load of condiment so that it will not easily fold beyond the horizontal.

Although only a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims. 

1. A food container, comprising: a. a front panel; b. a bottom panel connected to said front panel at a fold line; c. a first side panel being connected to said front panel at a fold line; d. a second side panel being connected to said front panel at a fold line; e. a back panel to which a tab portion of each of said first and second side panels are attached; f. a platform comprising i. a main panel portion, ii. a first side panel portion, iii. a second side panel portion, iv. a top side panel portion, v. said platform being connected to said front panel at a fold line, said first, second and top side panel portions being connected to said main panel portion by fold lines, said platform being foldable from a flat configuration into a tray configurations whereby said first, second and top side panel portions being foldable upward to form side lips of said platform. 